Clarinet tuning-slide.



L. J. DENNIS.

.CLARINET TUNING SLIDE.

APPLICATION FILED IuNE. 1915.

Patlted Dec. 7, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT carica.

cLAnrNnr TUNING-stuur..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7,1915.

Application led June 5, 1915. Serial No. 32,329.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD J. DENNIS, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada and a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, 'residing at Regina, in the Province of Saskatchewan and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clarinet Tuning-Slides; and I hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and eXact description thereof, refer- Fence being had to the accompanying drawings, which Aform part of this specification.

This invention is a novel improvement in means fortuning clarinets and like wind musical instruments by correcting deviations pitch from an absolutely correct tone. *Its principal object is to provide novel Vmeans for manipulating the tuning slide of a clarinet or like instrument, which means can be readily attached thereto, and by operating such means the slide can be adjusted until the desired pitch is obtained; and as applied to clarinets the pitch of the instrument can be regulated with one hand while the instrument is being played by the other.

i Another object is to provide a very simple adjusting means whereby only linear adjusting movements of the slide will be caused, doing away with any twisting or turning motionof the parts of the slide; and whereby the most delicate adjustments can be made and absolute accuracy of pitch procured between the limits.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the at present preferred practical embodiment of the invention and one or two modifications thereof, and will explain the invention with reference to said drawings and summarize in the claims the essen- 'tial features thereof for which protection is desired.

In said drawings :-Figure l is a side view of the tuning slide of a clarinet or like wind instrument provided with my novel adjusting devices. Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. l showing the 'adjusting device in section.` Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail section on line 4.-4 Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing eXtreme practical a slight modification of the adjusting devices partly in section. Fig. 6 is a View A, or 2 from or another modification of the adjusting devices.

In the drawings 1 and 2 designate the upper and lower members of the tuning slide of a clarinet, or like wind instrument, the member l having the usual tubular extension lZ1 telescoping in the member 2 so that said timing slide can be lengthened or shortened by simply moving the members l toward each other. These said parts may be of Aany suitable construction, and are shown like those commonly in use in clarinets and like instruments. In order to vary the pitch of the instrument the slide must be lengthened or shortened, to a greater or less extent, depending upon the variations of pitch required. j

Various devices have been heretofore designed for adjusting such tuning slides but most of them necessitate the stopping of playing while the instrument is being adjusted, or the use of both hands to effect the adjusting; or a twisting motion of one member relative to the other. By my invention all these objections are overcome and in the at present preferred form thereof, illustrated in Figspl to 4, I effect the adjustment of the tuning slide by the following means To the outer side of member l is attached a depending bar 3, the upper end of which may be connected to a perforated plate 3 attached to member l by screws as indicated in the drawings or in other suitable way. The lower part of bar 3 telescopes within a socket or guide attached to the lower member 2, and this guide el may be provided with a perforated front plate l by which it is fastened to the member "2 by screws, as indicated in the drawings, or other suitable means. To the lower end of the plate 4 is attached a projecting stud -lb upon which is mounted a r0- tatable cam member 5, which cam member is provided on its inner face with a' helical cam slot 5c adapted to be` engaged by a pin 8C attached to the lower end of the bar 3, said pin projecting through a slot 4 in the plate lla. The cam slot 5 is so 'graduated that in any position of the cam 5 the cam will be practically self-locking, that is the pressure or pull of the pin 3c in the slot 5? will not rotate the cam. By simply turning the cam 5 on stud lb the members l and 2 In Fig. 5 a rack G is shown as attached to member l in place of the bar 3, and may be engaged with the guide 4. A pinion as G is mounted on a stub shaft Gb supported in bearings 6 on plate en and provided with a hand wheel 6d. By rotating shaft 6b the slide can be adjusted. The shaft 6b can be locked by any suitable means, as by a nut 6 on its end as indicated in Fig. 5.

ln Fig. 6 a threaded ro-d 7 may be attached to member land engaged with a rotatable nut 7 mounted in a support 'l'c attached to the member 2; and by rotating nut T the slide can be adjusted to vary the pitch.

With my invention the clarinet can be tuned with one hand while being played with the other; the slide members have no relative rotation; the adjusting bar also serves as a key to prevent relative rotation of the slide-members. XV ith such adjusting means there is no need for loosening, disconnecting, or displacing, any part of the instrument or adjusting any part except the tuning slide. Further the fingering arrangement or keying is not altered by adjusting the pitch. For some instruments such adjusting means might be used for changing the key, but in an instrument like a clarinet it is not practical to change the key because such attempt to change the key of a clarinet' would put the instrument ont of. tune with itself; while my invention as j applied to clarinets will enable the instrument to be quickly adjusted to absolutely correct pitch, without otherwise atl'ecting the instrument which will remain perfectly tuned in itself although the pitch may be slightly changed up to a quarter of a tone.

What l claim is:

l. ln combination with a tuning slide for clarinets and like wind instruments; a bar attached to one member of the slide and slidably engaging the other member thereof and adapted to prevent relative rotary movement of said members, and means for moving said bar longitudinally to lengthen or shorten the slide.

2. In combination With the members of a tuning slide for elarinets and like Wind instruments; a bar attached to one member and slidably engaging the other member to prevent relative rotary movement of said members, means engaging said bar to operate the same and thereby adjust the said members to or from each other and for holding the members in adjusted position.

3. In combination with the members of a tuning slide of a clarinet or like Wood instrument; a bar attached to one member, a guide attached to the other member and engaged by said bar to prevent relative rotary movement of said members, and means adjacent the guide engaging said bar to move sa/mc longitudinally and hold the members in adjusted position.

Ll. ln combination with the members of a tuning slide of a clarinet or like Wood instrument; a bar tixedly attached to one member, and a rotatable cam attached to the other member and engaging said bar to adjust the same longitudinally.

5. In combination with the members of a tuning slide of a rclarinet or like Wood instrument;` a bar tixedly attached to one member, a guide attached to the other member and engaged by said bar, and a rotatable cam engaging said bar to adjust same longitudinally and hold saine in adjusted position.

In combination with the members of a timing slide of a clarinet r like vWood instrument; a bar fixedly attached to one member, a guide attached to the other member and engaged by said bar, a rotatable cam attached to said guide and having a helical cam slot, and a pin on the bar engaging said cam slot, substantially as vdescribed.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own, I affix my signature in presence of'tivo witnesses.

LEONARD JOSEPH DENNIS.

Witnesses W. Rose, J. `W. ANDERSON.

"sie

Copies of this patent may ne obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington. D. C. 

